Movements + Good Habits - Back Squat

We kicked off a video series on SQUATS  and we're back with the second progression describing a proper barbell BACK SQUAT.  If you missed our AIR SQUAT video, please watch that first as it sets the foundation for most squatting movements.  Whether you are trying to build muscle or add strength, the proper squat technique will ensure that you are getting the most out of the movement while keeping your body safe and strong.  

There is no one way to properly squat and, as with all movements, anatomy and mobility can have an important impact on what a back squat looks like. Positions for hand, torso, foot and bar positioning will vary by person.  One of our Coaches can work with you to help find a most ideal position for your current state, squatting efficiently and moving in a way to earn you the results you are working to achieve.  Now, let's take a look at our BACK SQUATS.

Step by Step

1. Set your hands. Hand placement will be different for everyone depending on mobility.  You are trying to find a hand placement that will help you keep your back tight. Line up your hands evenly on the barbell and maintain a straight wrist position.

2. Bring yourself under the bar.  With your hands evenly placed on the bar bring your body underneath making sure you are staying centered on the bar.

3. Bar placement.  Whether in high- or low-bar position, find the spot on your upper back where the bar feels most natural and supported.

4. Get your back tight.  Push your chest out while squeezing your shoulder blades back to get your back as tight as possible, maintaining tension throughout the lift.

5. Breath and lift.  Take a big breath in through your mouth and down to stomach, then stand the bar up off the rack.

6. Step back.  Take a step away from the rack and set your feet in your squat stance (about shoulder width apart, toes slightly rotated outward). Engage your feet tight against the floor for tension and stability.

7. Big belly breath.  Take a deep breath in through your stomach to stabilize your mid-line core.

8. Push hips back then down.  Push your hips back then down, dropping your hips toward the ground.  While this is happening push your knees outward.

9. Hip crease below knee.  The bottom of the squat is found where your hip crease descends just below the top of your knees.  While at the bottom keep your hips pushed back to avoid your tailbone tucking underneath you (known as a "butt wink"), putting you in a position that could injure yourself.

10. Drive upward and squeeze your butt.  Pushing through your foot arch and heel of your foot, drive your body upward.  Chest should maintain its upright and open position as you ascend. Using the big breath, maintain tension during this drive.

11. Keep elbows pushed forward.  While driving up, keep pushing your elbows forward keeping them vertical under the bar.

12. Squeeze your butt and rack.  Once you have reached a standing position squeeze your butt to make sure you hips are forward and stable, then step back into the rack. When racking keep your eyes forward and hit the back of the rack then drop down to the rack.

Movements + Good Habits - SUMO DEADLIFT

Sumo deadlift is a style of deadlift where the feet are positioned at a wide stance, but that width can vary; the main intent is that your arms reach directly downward and knees and feet are outside your grip.  The main benefit for pulling sumo style is that the barbell does not have to travel as far vertically as it would in a conventional deadlift motion. 

For most athletes, choosing to pull a conventional or sumo deadlift as your main lifting style (in either competition or training) is largely based on your anatomy, mobility and comfort.  It is also a great accessory movement for your deadlift even if you do not use sumo deadlifts in competition.  Meaning, if you are a conventional deadlifter, using a sumo as an accessory can (and will) strengthen your deadlift! Be sure to check with a Coach as some federations may not allow sumo deadlifts in competition. However, at Habit, we find that training both sumo and conventional is a great asset to your deadlift growth.

Set your feet. Begin with your feet outside of shoulder width.  Some stances will be wider than others depending on mobility and anatomy.

1. Rotate feet out.  Duck your toes out to ensure that your knee path will push outwards and stay over your ankles at the bottom position.  This also helps to prevent your knees from caving inward.

2. Push hips back + bend knee.  Push your hips back and bend your knees, making sure you keep your knee path traveling to the point where they are perpendicular with the floor and directly above your ankles.

3. Hinge your torso.  Let your torso hinge over until you can reach the bar.  Make sure while doing this you are pushing your chest out, toward the barbell.

4. Hands below shoulders. When reaching down and grabbing the barbell, you want to place your hands directly under your shoulders.  This will make your arms the longest they can be and make the barbell travel the least amount of distance off the floor, making your sumo deadlift more efficient.

5. Engage your lats. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and squeeze your lats to keep your back in a flat position. Build tension in your core with your breath to assist in stabilizing.

6. Big breath + pull.  Build tension in your core with your breath (a big, diaphragmatic breath) to assist in stabilizing.  When pulling, do not yank or jerk the barbell.  The movement should be smooth, but quick. 

7. Stand + squeeze.  Once the barbell is ascending, start pushing the hips forward to reach the full standing position and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.

8. Retrace your steps.  The barbell descent should follow the exact same path as when you picked it up in reverse. Begin with hips back and control the bar to the floor.

Movements + Good Habits - KB Swings

Continuing our focus on the posterior chain and movements related the Deadlift, we will now take a look at the KETTLEBELL SWING. At Habit Strength+Conditioning we primarily do the Russian kettlebell swing and is the style of swing we recommend and develop technique with our Members. Kettlebell swings are great for developing power in your hip snap while strengthening your hamstring, glutes and back.

Have a look at the video below where Coach Steff and Coach Pat illustrate a proper kettlebell swings: 

Step by Step

1. Set your feet. Begin with your feet below your hips.  A constant correction we make is to bring feet closer as people tend to set up with a wider stance.  The kettlebell should begin approximately 2 feet in front of you.

2. Hips back. Rotate your pelvis back and push your rear toward the wall behind you. We often use the hip queue "Donald Duck", where your inspiration comes from a scoop or flattened lower back and booty pressed backward. 

3. Torso hinge. Hinge your upper body and keep pushing your butt horizontally back.  While pushing backward, reach for the kettlebell. Your back should remain flat and your knees should stack vertically above your ankles; you may feel a stretch in your hamstrings.

4. Engage your lats. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and squeeze your lats to keep your back in a flat position. Build tension in your core with your breath to assist in stabilizing.

5. Hike the bell. With that full breath, pull the kettlebell through your legs which may be bowed slightly outward (but not forward), as if you were hiking a football. Maintain your grip on the kettlebell, though! 

6. Stand and squeeze.  As the kettlebell reaches the full extent of the hike, quickly stand up to an up-right position, letting your hips move the kettlebell forward.  At the top, squeeze your glutes and momentarily pull your hips underneath to rotate your pelvis forward into a position we call "Pink Panther" and squeeze your butt.

7. Kettlebell descent.  As the kettlebell starts to descend let your hips move back towards your bottom position, reloading the hamstrings to fire the kettlebell forward again and again...

8. Loose arms, chest forward. Arms stay loose during this swing, but be sure that your back doesn't loosen up. Maintain tension in your back by tucking your lats back and downward, meanwhile, consider pushing your chest forward even when your torso is tilted toward the floor at the bottom of the movement.

9. Finish where you start. On your last swing, the kettlebell should return to the floor and placed 2 feet in front of you, and your body should be in the exact position as when you start with knees stacked over your ankles and back still under tension. 

Movements + Good Habits - Deadlift

The King/Queen of Lifts; the DEADLIFT. Although it may have an intimidating name, this movement is applicable in many ways. We perform it when we pickup a heavy load from the floor, whether it be one end of a couch or a barbell loaded with plates. A deadlift is a great way to gain strength + power, to train your hamstrings, glutes, back + core and to help improve muscles used for good posture. 

Have a look at the video below where Coach Steff and Coach Pat illustrate a proper deadlift:

In this case, we are exploring the preparation for a CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT; one in which our feet are set slightly inside your grip on the barbell. There are various ways to perform other styles of deadlift, but the following steps outline the process for the conventional deadlift movement. Take a read:

1. Set your feet Begin with your feet directly below your hips; some people stand wider or slightly more narrow, but this is a good way to start. Be sure your entire foot is in conflict with the floor but you can focus your weight distribution into your heels. 

2. Rotate your pelvis back and push your rear toward the wall behind you. We often use the hip queue "Donald Duck", where your inspiration comes from a scoop or flattened lower back and booty pressed backward. 

3. Pull bar to shins To be most efficient with a barbell lift, we need to be thoughtful about where the path of the bar goes. Keeping the bar close to the center of your body (or in this case up against your shins and eventually your quads) keeps the bar in the most effective position. This will also help keep your knees vertically stacked above your ankles, also keeping them safe. 

4. Engage your back Although the deadlift is largely a leg-dominant movement, keeping your back engaged is a big part of the deadlift. We're focused on NOT bending much in your back and to do so, keep your back muscles engaged. Think about squeezing the back side of your armpits/pinch a pencil placed in the back of your armpits to help engage your lats to continue stabilizing your back. 

5. Take a full belly-breath Power of proper breathing is critical in a deadlift (and most movements). Take a breath into your belly, not just your chest. Now, hold it and think about pressing the air behind your abdominal muscles to help support them. This helps to engage your core; your abs, your obliques and low back. 

6. Stand and tuck pelvis Pressing into the floor to extend your legs long, stand up! At the top, tuck your hips under, rotating your pelvis forward into the opposite hip queue, "Pink Panther". Your glutes should be squeezed tight to control the movement at the top. Enjoy! You are almost there!

7. Controlled decent Although not all coaches find this as important, we queue athletes to control their barbells to the floor. Not only does it demonstrate control, in many competitions it is required and you can gain more from a lift by spending a bit more time under tention where your body is still engaged. It also is incredibly helpful when performing multiple reps. 

Deadlifts can be varied, especially based on your anatomy and the proportions of your body. Each of our lifts may look different from someone else's, but our goal here is to help you build your lifting patterns for a consistent deadlift and feeling confident + safe with the barbell in your grip. If you have questions about the tips or guidance we've outlined, please don't hesitate to ask Coach Patrick or Coach Steffany for more information. We are happy to help!

Movements + Good Habits - S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting

When starting on the road to living a fitter/healthier/stronger lifestyle the very first thing we do is set a goal. Lose weight, lose body fat, lift X amount, do a pull up, etc… Setting goals can be daunting but are a crucial part to your success. It takes a lot of thought to make sure it is something that you are willing to work towards. Watch the video below and follow the steps to make sure that your goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals

Specific When a goal is specific, we are deliberate about ways we can clarify what the intended result may be. Adding layers of information about what the target goal is will help us determine success, unique to the goal-setter.

1. Measurable When a goal is measurable, we have a particular way to identify when success has been achieved. 

2. Achievable When a goal is achievable, it can be met within the time and effort-made constrains on the goal-setter at that particular time period. It doesn't imply that it's a goal you personally can't meet, but one that you can meet while taking into account the amount of sustainable effort and focus you're able to put toward that goal right now. 

3. Result-Oriented When a goal is results-oriented, it can be broken down from a big goal into smaller, incremental goals still focused toward the main goal. Smaller goals ought to be assessed regularly to ensure that they are helping chip away at the larger goal. 

4. Timeline A goal with a timeline helps us to determine priorities and establish what adjustments to your routine need to be made to ensure it's achievable. 

EXAMPLE

Initial goal: "lose weight before the holiday season" 

This is a great start, but we can help to improve the way we describe the goal by applying the SMART tactics listed above. 

• S: specifics include amount of body fat lost and identify the ways by which the goal will be met. We'll identify regular checkins with Coaches and what a regular week might look like for training and the nutrition plan.

• M: we'll measure body fat as part of the longterm goal, but we'll also measure progress by ensuring that we meet our weekly goal of extra training sessions and sticking to a nutrition plan. Lastly, there is a target outfit to try on at the end of the timeline to measure success in/out of clothing.  

• A: looking at the challenges to our goal in the coming weeks, we go into the start of the holidays with a plan to ensure that the goal is achievable. Notice we aren't targeting a measurement that without extreme, drastic change we CAN achieve within 9 weeks.

• R: giving incremental goals that help break down the larger goal will help ensure we're focused on the end game result. This might include outlining a plan per week of extra training sessions, where to go when we feel like we might break focus and in this case, a planned flexibility taking into account family time for Thanksgiving. 

• T: timing is critical; setting a goal with a particular timeline of the end date as well as incremental checkins and a planned "relaxed meal" will help to validate the S.M.A.R. tactics, above. 

Final goal: "I'm going to cut 2% bodyfat by December 15th by adding 30min cardio 2x week to my strength training and removing alcohol, diary and sugars until 12/15. I will check in with my Coaches each Monday and Friday leading up to the date to give updates and to ask about alternative recipes when I get stuck. I will give myself a 4-hr lax period on Thanksgiving day with my friends and family but will remain 100% committed otherwise. I will feel confident in a holiday outfit I've been dying to wear to [holiday something] event for years."

Movements + Good Habits - Overhead Press

We're here again with an in-depth look at Movements + Good Habits focused on the OVERHEAD PRESS (in this case, the strict/no momentum version). Putting the queues we outline below into your warmpus and lifts will help to improve your power and strength, stability and ultimately intensity of your workouts. In applying this to your daily life (think, putting a heavy grocery item on a tall shelf or pulling kid off a high playground equipment or putting a heavy carry-on into an overhead bin), you can save your body and stay healthy, too. 

If you are not familiar with the 'BRACING' or 'PUSHUP' videos, please go back and re-watch as it directly applies to the OVERHEAD PRESS.

Set your feet With the equipment you're using (dumbbells, kettlebells or barbell, etc.) in position on your shoulders, grasped by each hand firmly but not white-knuckled), start your focus on your feet. Stance should be hip-width apart, weight distributed evenly flat on the ground. The next few steps will resemble the BRACING queues.

1. Rotate your feet out Build tension by outwardly rotating your feet opposite each other and engaging your quads, keeping your legs long.

2. Squeeze your butt! Rotate your hips underneath you and squeeze to maintain this position.

3. Keep your ribs "quiet"  Pull the bottom rib toward the top of your hip bones. Try to limit the amount your ribs flare from the bottom and think about tightening your bellybutton through your spine, but not sucking in, just tightening.

4. Breath deep into your BELLY Use your outward breath to increase the abdominal squeeze while still being able to breath. 

5. Press to locked-out overhead position. First, pull your head back slightly out of the way by giving yourself a double chin. Press your equipment over head to a full locked out position with arms in line with your ears. Keep bar path close to the centerline of your body by not pressing OUT and AROUND your face. Head can come back to a neutral position at the top once you've locked your arms into the top position. Notice Steff's shoulders are not pressed UP, but rather locked DOWN so not to overly engage her traps. For those of you with headaches, this is an important step.

6. Stack your joints. At the overhead position, consider that you are stacking your joints vertically; wrists over your elbows, elbows over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips with core engaged, hips over your knees, knees over your ankles. When we do not stack vertically, we put additional forces (not the good kind) on our joints which can cause injury over time. 

7. Retrace your steps. Pull your head back out of the way as you begin your decent with the bar path tracking essentially straight downward. If you are performing multiple reps, come to your chin line and without losing tension, press the weight back up to overhead. If not, come to a rest again at your shoulder, letting your head come back to neutral. Core stays engaged as you re-rack or lower the weight to protect your back and body.

A strong base helps improve an overhead position, so we certainly are using more than just our arms in this movement sequence. We sometimes queue, "make your body stable like a tree trunk"; whatever you envision, let it be strong and stable. An overhead press can be completed with lots of pieces of equipment from dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, jinglebells, plates, wallballs, groceries, small children, furniture... you get my point.  

Resolution Strategy

We hope you are having a wonderful first couple weeks of the year.  The new year is a refreshing time to reflect on 2018 and look forward to what you'd like to see come in 2019. We have spoken to many of you regarding your resolutions and goals for 2019 and are so very excited to be able to watch you start or continue to make these changes.

Change can be a touchy thing, however. Sudden or intense changes in your patterns can put your body and brain in a stressful state where it feels threatened.  When threatened, we can enter a fight-, flight- or freeze-mode.  FIGHT might look like we're proceeding with a change but it may not bring happiness and our bodies fight the process of developing the new habit. FLIGHT might look like we're running in the complete opposite direction of a resolution.  For example, if a resolution was maintaining a specific nutrition plan, flight might be eating worse than before.  FREEZE might look like no change is happening at all. In order to help prevent yourself [or someone you know] from entering a threatened place, it is crucial to have a plan for your resolution; a plan for your new habits.

After spending the early part of a new year making conscious decisions and creating healthy change, many resolutions can dissolve when we relax and have reason to celebrate [say, a birthday or a promotion or successfully completing 30-days of a strict nutrition plan], and then the motivation to return to the good habits is low or not there at all. You may also have less accountability come February or March than in January and it might feel easy to slip into a day or two [or three or ten...] straying from your newly-developed good habits. It can be easy to lose sight of your new resolutions without a plan to get back onboard. As Coaches, we often see a need to develop a strategy on how to enjoy your relaxed meals/days and how still how to get back on track. 

With that in mind, it's not only important to have a plan for what your resolution may be, but also how to shape it to maintain a sustainable lifestyle where you can be spontaneous, enjoy new foods, be relaxed and not worry about losing sight of or progress toward your goals. 

With a strict nutrition challenge or a kicka** new habit to start the new year, it's important to develop your "exit strategy" as you complete your big effort; this strategy helps us establish a plan for maintaining progress while "living a little" :) Check out the quick video below from Coach Steff for more on that topic.

Step by Step

1. Congrats! You're starting a new habit based on the repetition of the changes you're making day-to-day toward a healthy goal. 

2. Plan cheats Life happens, things come up and sometimes you're going to splurge. But more often than not, you know when relaxed days/"cheat meals" might be approaching [your mom's birthday is the same day, every year!]

3. Purge the pantry By preparing your home to be a safe place without the temptation to cheat, you're setting yourself up to meet step 2. Remove remaining items that are not a part of your plan. [That does not mean eat it, rather give it away or throw it away.]

4. Check your calendar If your biggest challenge is making time to lift, look ahead at your calendar for the next few weeks noticing the tougher and lighter days in your schedule. If your week is whack, talk to your coach about an alternative way to make your workouts happen. 

5. Have a recovery plan Yum! Cheat/rest/relaxed meal happened... enjoy what you can  but that next day, get back in the gym. Start meal prepping again. It's time to  kickstart the routine once more - the longer you wait the harder it will be to restart. The exit strategy is more a strategy on how to leave the CHEAT behind and get back to your healthy choices.

6. Who's on Your Support Team Finding an accountability partner, or someone with whom you can share your goals and talk about your hurdles to meeting them, will help build your support network. They should be able to discuss your plans, anticipate your cheat day and help keep you accountable to get back on track after your day of celebration. 

7. Be nice to yourself Please don't beat yourself up! If you haven't watched the "Getting Back on Track" video, check that out! 

Resolutions are meant to be challenging.  If they were not, then the process would not be so rewarding in the end.  If you have not made a strategic plan for your resolutions and need some help, please feel free to ask.  If you have your plan and it is in place, stick to it!

Our goal for next year is to not make the same resolutions as we did this year.

Movements + Good Habits - Pushups

When done correctly, the pushup is much more than just a chest-training movement; don't feel surprised if you feel fatigued in your hips, core, shoulders and chest after a couple of these reps. Try completing a few of these technical reps, increasing your range of movement each time through!

Set your hands. Width should locate your hands and wrists directly below your shoulders with fingers spread wide.

1. Rotate your hands outward. Build tension by outwardly rotating your hands opposite each other against the floor as if you were opening two opposing jars with your palms. This helps to engage your arms, shoulders and lats. Arms should stay long.

2. Squeeze your butt! Rotate your hips underneath you and squeeze to maintain this position, exactly the same as you do in the bracing queues.The small of your low back should slightly press toward the ceiling without letting your butt poke upward. 

3. Breath deep into your BELLY. Use your outward breath to increase the abdominal squeeze while still being able to breath. 

4. Lower chest toward the floor. During the decent with your chest leading toward the floor, keep your elbows tucked near your ribs. Maintain control of your core by squeezing your core, butt and inner thighs together. 

5. Press out with power. Once your chest is approximately 1-2" from the floor, maintain tension but press with power out of the floor. Use the power of your breath out while pushing out of the bottom position. Consider that you're pushing the world down, not pushing your body up. Maintain the SQUEEZE throughout the movement.

Good luck to you in your lifts and we are happy to help provide additional information as it pertains to PUSHUPS.

Movements + Good Habits - Getting Back on Track

We all have situations where we can put other things ahead of our training and nutrition plan and where our healthy practices are challenged, but the important lesson here is how to regain your focus and not to let your time off course detract from your path toward your goals. In a season of transition (like holidays, back-to-school, start of a new year/job/etc.), consistent practice and a bit self-forgiveness can go a long way in staying your course. Check out the clip below for more on this topic. 

Change happens Change in routines are bound to affect us all. It doesn't mean that we can't be flexible with our nutrition and our training, but we can learn to "get back on the horse" when change does come our way. 

1. Start now There's a nice reset button to hit for your routine on Mondays, but why wait? Waiting until the calendar says it's a good time refresh your patterns doesn't mean you have to. Start today. Start this next meal. You'll be a few days ahead if you start now and don't wait until Monday.

2. Be prepared "...but I didn't meal prep/I don't have socks" are all too common "reasons" not to make today happen right. There are ways around this like stashing an extra gym outfit in your bag or locker or trunk just in case. A run to the grocery store or a local lunch spot can help in a pinch, but don't be afraid to ask for a modification to their standard dish if it doesn't suit your nutrition plan.

3. There is no minimum for clean eating Contrary to belief, once you do find yourself with a healthy meal, realize there is NO minimum meals to constitute eating clean again. Just start! You're only ONE meal away from being back on the path. 

4. There is no minimum for being back to the gym Same goes for being back in the gym, there is no minimum for getting back to the gym. You don't have to have 30 days of squats under your belt to count as being back to the gym, it just takes that first day back. 

5. [Please] don't punish yourself today for yesterday A thing to note is that punishing your body today for a fault from yesterday doesn't take back what choices were made. What the punishment does do is hinders what you're capable of tomorrow. If you ate a slice of cake yesterday, cutting calories today will not resolve that decision. It will only make your body feel weaker tomorrow. See step #2 :)

6. Just keep swimming Consistency is KEY. Do your best, build healthy habits and keep your eyes on your short and long term goals (more on goal setting next month!) And when life throws you a curve ball, the most important thing is to start at step 1 and begin again. 

We understand that this is hitting the tip of the iceberg, but we know also that big change starts with first steps. One meal or one workout is all you need to get the ball rolling. 

Movements + Good Habits - Bracing

Bracing your core is critical for strong lifts and a safe body position. By following the steps outlined in the video, you can work to build midline strength and control your breathing. If you feel WAY off base, know that this positioning may take a few smaller steps in between and may require additional rolling, stretching and strengthening along the way. Progress is progress and we're happy to see you working toward that. 

Set your feet. Stance should be hip-width apart, weight distributed evenly flat on the ground.

1. Rotate your feet out. Build tension by outwardly rotating your feet opposite each other and engaging your quads, keeping your legs long. 

2. Squeeze your butt! Rotate your hips underneath you and squeeze to maintain this position.

3. Keep your ribs "quiet".  Pull the bottom rib toward the top of your hip bones. Try to limit the amount your ribs flare from the bottom. 

4. Breath deep into your BELLY. (notice Coach Steff corrects this even though the breath initiates in her chest). Use your outward breath to increase the abdominal squeeze while still being able to breath. 

5. Pull your shoulders back and down.  Secure them in that position by squeezing your shoulder blades together and using your lats to pull the shoulders down.  There should be a stretch in your traps and neck should be elongated. 

6. Neutral head position.  Let your head "go neutral" into a natural, forward position. 

Try doing this for a total of a 2-minute hold and apply this to your workouts!

Happiest of Holidays

Sending you our warmest wishes this holiday from our Habit family to yours. Thank you for your love and support throughout the year!